I met Hannah thanks to a Swiss friend. Hannah and Lincoln were a Malaysian couple and they wanted to come to Cappadocia for their pre wedding photo shooting. I meet with Hannah long before the photo shooting. We planned all the details. We decided from the photos she had sent to me about the two bridal gowns and shoes she would wore and we arranged our hair and make-up artist. Everything was ready now and we had nothing to do but to hope to have good weather that day. You can read the whole story of “Couple Poses in Cappadocia” at the bottom of the page…
Photo Shoot
In the morning, when the hot air balloons took off, we started photo shooting exactly when the air changed from black to blue. The contrast of the warm colors of the flames coming out of these blues and balloons are the moments I love most. Sometimes the balloons pass so close to us that we have the chance to chat with the pilot and they did not hesitate to give a flame show whenever we want. Even when we were photo shooting, the baskets of balloons pass over us, almost at touch distance.
I definitely give couples permission to use mobile phones for 2-3 minutes at the time of photo shooting. I think they want to record these wonderful moments, but they cannot tell me because of their kindness. They are happy to start photo shooting right away. Gas pumping sound made by balloons passing just near us and colorful visuals of tens of balloons flying in the sky. Great views of magnificent Cappadocia and balloons.
The Hotel Shooting
Towards the end of the balloon flight, we went to the terrace of the Ottoman Cave Suites, where the couple stayed for the last photo shooting before breakfast. The terrace decorated with classic Turkish rugs and the giant horse statue made of metal were truly fascinating. This was one of my favorite places to take a photo. The hotel team was also extremely kind and helpful.
After the breakfast, the weather got hotter and Hannah changed her long wedding dress, which she wores in the morning, with her short front and long back wedding dress. I always find these types of wedding dresses risky, and they usually don’t suit anyone, but on Hannah it looked really great. We were very comfortable shooting in difficult terrain. I warned all my couples on a subject before the photo shooting: It is impossible to walk around with heels. There are rocks were we are climbing. It is absolutely necessary to carry sneakers. When we arrived at the photo shooting location, she changed her sneakers with her heels. Another issue is that it is very cold at sunrise. If long wedding dresses can be worn, it is also useful to wear tights, thick socks etc.
After our next meeting in the afternoon a photo shooting took place with Hannah and Lincoln in the Cappadocia caves. Afterwards we climbed into some panoramic views and finally finished the photo shooting on the historical streets of Goreme, which consist of stone houses. The next morning, our couple had a balloon flight, but unfortunately the balloon fight was canceled due to excessive wind. But we were lucky in terms of photography because we saw the balloons.
I wish endless happiness to dear Hannah and Lincoln. With health and love…
Couple Poses in Cappadocia by Ufuk Sarisen
